Electro pneumatic sewage disposal system



United States Patent [72] Inventor Alexander A. Yulio 116 Union Ave.,Paterson, New Jersey 07502 [21] Appl. No. 762,012 [22] Filed Sept. 24,1968 [45] Patented Nov. 3, 1970 [54] ELECTRO PNEUMATIC SEWAGE DISPOSALSYSTEM 6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 137/392, 137/396,l37/583,25l/64,4l7/l2,417/l38 [51] Int. Cl..Fl6k 45/00, G0lf23/24;F0hf1/02 [50] Field of Search l37/209, 392, 394,395,583, 396; 103/11, 12, 25, 240, 24]; 251/30, 64, I29;417/l2, 138

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,817,299 12/1957 Weisl37/392X 3,050,003 8/1962 Edwards 103/25 3,118,391 H1964 Ciabattarietal. lO3/25X 3,223,041 12/1965 Quinn 103/25X 3,275,021 9/1966 Lovelessl37/392X Primary Examiner-William F. O'Dca Assistant Examiner David R.Matthews Attorney-James J. Cannon ABSTRACT: An electrical systemforcontrolling the operation of pneumatic apparatus for discharging liquidwaste from a pumping tank in a sewage disposal installation. The systemcomprises a short electrode extending downwardly from the top of thepumping tank and adapted to complete an energization circuit, upon thelevel of the liquid waste reaching the electrode, to an electric relaywhich, in turn energizes a circuit operative to actuate a pneumaticpressure blow-down system for emptying the pumping tank and, at the sametime, energizes time-delay means operative to deenergize the actuatingcircuit after a time interval sufficient to complete the tank emptyingoperation.

Patented Nov. 3, 1970 HH IH I WW HHHHHHHH L wwv MM y Wm nl uhl l ll mlll l l un vM s g Q! kx W K R E 0 N m m V. T m A R sewage disposal systemsof the type commonly used in installations wherein sewage must be pumpedor forced from a lower level to a sewer main at a higher level, such asrequired, for example, in the disposal of sewage from large passengerliners and from large apartment and office buildings.

in electropneumatic sewage disposal systems heretofore known andcommonly in use, sewage is collected by gravity feed from one or moreaccumulating tanks in a comparatively large pumping tank having long andshort electrodes extending from the'top and adapted to control, throughactuating circuitry, av compressed'air pumping system operative to beginblowing the waste out to t'he'sewer main (at a higher level) whenthewaste reached and made'contact with the short elecv trode (startelectrode), and ceased the pumping operation or blowdown when the wastein the tank had fallen to a level just beyond the lower end .of the longelectrode (the stop electrode). The principal difficulty with suchsystems is that solid waste has a tendency-to adhere to the electrodeelements, particularly the long or stop electrode, causing it to becomegrounded-thereby failing-to control shutoff of the blowdown operationand resulting, in turn, in pressure aboveatmospheric pressure remainingin the pumping tank. As a result, waste water will backup'through thesystem flooding the lower floors of the installation. v

It is, accordingly, the principal object of this invention to provide anew and improved pumping or blowdown control system which obviates theabove-described deficiency of systems heretofore known by the provisionof means'independent of the long electrode for shutting'off pneumaticblowdown, thereby eliminating the possibility of. shorting and failureof the system as described above. i

It is a more particular object of the invention to provide an improvedblowdown control system of the character described wherein the period.or time interval of blowdown is controlled by a time delay elemententirely independent ofliquidlevel in the pumping tank, but ofsufficient time delay to insure complete emptying ofthe tank.

Another object is to provide a blowdowncontrol system of the characterdescribed which will be simple and economical in structure, compact, anddependable and durable in operation.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom the following description when read with reference to theaccompanying drawings.

In the drawings, wherein like reference numerals denotecorrespondingparts throughout the several views: V

, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electropneumatic sewage disposalsystem embodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is a detailed view of the air control valve and associatedmechanism shown separately; and

FIG. 3 is'an electrical schematic diagram of the control circuitryfor-the pneumatic pumping or blowdownapparatus.

valve 21 (see FIG. 2). The air pressure control valve 21, in addition tothe inlet port 2 2, has an outlet port 23, a vent port 24 and a valvehead or piston 25 movable between a first position as illustrated by thefull line representation thereof as illustrated in H0. 2, whereat saidinlet port is closed off with respect to said outlet port, and a secondposition, whereat said vent port is closed with respect to said inletand outlet ports. The valve piston 25 connects by means of a control rod26 to the movable diaphragm 27 centrally arranged and supported in apressure chamber 28. A compression spring 29 circumjacent to the controlrod 26 and acting against the underside of the movable diaphragm 27normally urges said diaphragm in itsoutermost position, whereat saidvalve piston will be held in its first positiomWhen in this position, itwill be noted that theupper end of the waste pumping tank will be opento the atmosphere through air line 33, outlet and vent ports 23 and 24,respectively, of the control valve 21, and vent line 34. In such normalcondition of pressure control valve 21, it will be apparent that wastefrom the accumulating tank 14 will be able to flow under force ofgravity into the waste pumping tank 19.

Means is provided for automatically moving the valve piston 25 from itsfirst position to its second position, whereat the vent port 24 of theair pressure control valve 21 will be closed off and air under pressurewill be allowed to flow through said control valve from the air supplyline 20 and into the air line 33 leadingto the waste pumping tank 19. Tothis end, an auxiliary air line communicating with the air supply line20 and connectedin series with a pressure reducing valve 30a, leads tothe input port of a normally-closed air solenoid valve 31,

the pressure chamber 28 at the outside of its movable diaphragm 27. Uponenergization of the air solenoid valve 31 Referring now in detail to thedrawings, 10 designates a water closet set at floor level and servicedby the elecropneumatic sewage disposal system embodying my invention.Water closet l0 discharges into a sanitary waste line 11 connected atone end with a vertically'extending sanitary waste stack and/or ventline 12 and extending at its other end through a check valve 13 into anaccumulating tank 14. The lower end of the accumulating'tank 14discharges through a waste line I ,15, check valve 16 'and waste lines17 and 18' into the lower end of a waste pumping tank 19, said wastetank being at a lower level than theaccumulating tank 14 to permit flowthereinto by force of gravity.

Electropneumatic means is provided for automatically dischargingeffluent 'waste from the waste pumping tank 19 into a sewage main orother disposal means upon reaching a pre-determined high level in thewaste pumping tank. To this end, air from anair compressor (notillustrated) under pressure of about 40 pounds per square inch is fedthrough air supply line 20 to the inlet port 22 of an air pressurecontrol by an electric-sensing means hereinafter described, air underreduced pressure will flow through air line 32 into the pressure chamber28 forcing the movable diaphragm 27 in the inward direction and therebymoving its associated valve piston 25 from first or closed position toits second or opened position whereat air under pressure will flow intothe upper end of the waste pumping tank 19, as described above. The airpressure thus effected in the top of the waste pumping tank 19 willforce the effluent Waste therein through waste lines l7, l8 and throughcheck valve 37 into soil line 35 discharging under pressure into asewagemain 38 at a higher level or, as in the case ofshipsat sea, into the seawater.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is illustrated therein, schematically,the electrical circuitry by means of which the air solenoid valve 31 iscontrolled for automatically discharging the effluent waste from thewaste pumping tank 19 as described above. As illustrated. in FIG, 3,said circuit comprises a step-up transformer 39 having a primary winding40 connected to an, alternating current source of electrical supply,such as to an ordinary 1 15 volt AC supply line, and a secondary winding41 supplying a higher alternating current voltage, for example, 230volts, at low amperage, one terminal of said secondary winding beinggrounded. The other terminal of the secondary winding 41 is connected,through a..conductor 42, to one energization terminal of an electricalrelay 43. Associated with therelay 43 are two single-pole, single-throwelectrical switches 44 and 45, respectively, each of which is normallyopen but adapted to be closed upon energization of said relay. Theremaining energization terminal of the relay 43 is connected, throughconductor 46, to a short or start electrode 47,-insulated from andextending through the top of the waste pumping tank 19. The remainingterminal of the relay 43 is also connected, as by conductor 48, to thefixed contact arm of the normally open single-pole, single-throw switch45 of said relay. The movable contact arm of the relay switch 45connects, through conductor 49, to one switch contact arm 50 of a pairof normally-closed switch contact arms 50, 51 of a thermally-actuatedtime-delay switch member 52. The switch arm 51 of the thermally-actuatedtime-delay switch 52 connectsthrough conductor 53 to a long electrode 54insulated from the waste pumping tank 19 and extending through the topthereof to a distance somewhat short of the bottom of said tank. The airsolenoid valve 31 has one terminal of its control winding connected, asby conductor 55, to one conductor of the 115 volt AC energizing supplyline, and its other energization terminal connected in series with theheater element 56 of the thermally-actuated time-delay switch member 52and the normally open switch 44 of the relay 43 to the other energizingconductor of the l l volt AC energizing supply line, through conductors57,58 and 59.

In operation, when effluent waste or sewage water reaches the lower endof the short electrode 47 in the waste pumping tank 19, it completes acircuit through the energization winding of the relay 43 to ground, thetank being grounded, thereby permitting flow ofa sufficient current insaid relay (in the order of a few milliamperes) to close-circuit itsassociated switches 44 and 45. Closure of switch 44 will complete theseries energization circuit to the air solenoid valve 31 and the heaterelement 56 of the time-delay switch member 52. Energization of the airsolenoid valve 31, as described above, will operate the pneumatic systemto force the effluent waste out into the sewage main 38. It is to benoted that even though the sewage water level in the waste pumping tank19 will now fall below the lower end of the short electrode 47 the relay43 will remain energized or latched-in" through a ground circuitcomprising the now closed rclay switch 45, normally closed switch arm 50and 51 of the thermally-actuated time-delay switch 52 and the longelectrode 54. Since the heater element of the time-delay switch 52 hasbeen energized, as described above, time-delay action will take placewith respect to the opening of the associated switch 51, 52, the timedelay being sufficient to accomplish complete blowdown or discharge ofwaste from the pumping tank 19. At such time, the switch 51, 52 willopen, opening the relay switch 45 through which the relay 43 isself-energized, while at the same time opening relay switch 44. Theopening of relay switch 44 open-circuits in the abovcdescribedenergization circuit for the solenoid-actuated valve 4] and thetime-delay member heater member 56, placing the system in readiness forthe next blowdown cycle of operation upon the liquid waste againreaching the level ofthe short electrode 47. It is to be noted thatsince the period or length of the blowdown operation is controlledsolely by the thermally-actuated switch member 52, the long electrode 54could be'dispensed with and the switch arm 51 of the timedelay switch51, 52 connected to the long electrode could be connected directly toground.

While there is illustrated and described herein only one form in whichthe invention can conveniently be embodied in practice, it is to beunderstood that this embodiment is presented by way ofcxample only andnot in a limiting sense.

I claim:

I. An electropneumatic sewage disposal system comprising in combination,a plumbing waste installation including a vented and gravity flowconduit means from said installation, a waste accumulating tankincluding a first check valve means for receiving liquid waste bygravitational inflow from said plumbing waste installation, a wastepumping tank including a second check valve and gravity flow conduitmeans connected to said waste accumulating tank, a second air vent andair inflow conduit terminating in communication with said waste pumpingtank, a vent valve and a cooperating air valve closure means forselectively closing said second air vent and supply ing air underpressure through said air inflow conduit, solenoid valve means in saidair inflow conduit for controlling the flow of compressed air into saidtank, circuit means for con trolling said solenoid valve means includinga long electrode and a short electrode in said pumping tank and aheating element in series with said long electrode in said circuit, awaste line including a third check valve means in communication with andextending from the bottom of said waste pumping tank for dischargingwaste from said tank into a soil line, means controlled by the height ofliquid waste in said pumping tank for opening said solenoid valve meanstosupply air under pressure into said tank, means for closing saidsolenoid valve means at a predetermined interval of time after theopening thereof, said time interval being sufficient in length todisplace by air under pressure and discharge through said soil line theliquid waste in said pumping tank, and normally open vent meanscontrolled by the operation of said vent valve means and operative whensaid solenoid valve means is in said open position to be closed toprevent the escape of air under pressure being supplied to said tank.

2. An electropneumatic sewage disposal system as defined in claim 1,wherein said air valve closure means comprises a pressure reducing valveand a solenoid controlled valve, clec trical circuitry for energizingsaid valve, and wherein said liquid height controlled means comprises ashort electrode in said circuitry and extending down into said tank fromthe top thereof and operative to complete an cncrgization circuitgrounded to said tank upon the liquid level in said tank reaching saidelectrode.

3v An electropneumatic sewage disposal system as defined in claim 1,wherein said circuit means comprises relay means in series with saidshort electrode and operative to be energized upon the completion ofsaid energization circuit.

4. An electropneumatic sewage disposal system as defined in claim 3,wherein said air valve closure means and circuit means comprises athermally-actuated, normally-closed switch, a first normally-open switchoperative to be closed upon the energization ofsaid relay means, saidfirst switch and said thermally-controlled switch being in series in asecond energization circuit for said relay means.

5. An electropneumatic sewage disposal system as defined in claim 4,including a second normally-open switch operative to be close-circuitedupon the energization of said relay means, said thermally-actuatedswitch comprising a heater element, said second switch, said heaterelement and the energization coil of said solenoid control valve beingin series with a source of electrical energy for operating said solenoidvalve and heating said heater clement upon the encrgization of saidrelay means.

6. An electropneumatic sewage disposal system as defined in claim 4,wherein the time-delay interval afforded in the opening of said normallyclosed thermally controlled switch beginning at the time ofencrgizationof said heater element is long enough to effect the discharge of liquidwaste in said pumping tank through said soil line under the force of airunder pressure being supplied to said tank.

